A communications link carries data from a transmitter at one end of the communications link to a receiver at the opposite end of the communications link. The receiver typically includes a communications link health monitor that monitors errors in communications transmitted across. The output of the communications link health monitor is used to determine when to take the communications link out of service. Communications link health monitors typically are designed to trigger the decommissioning of the communications links when the detected error rate exceeds a certain level for too long.